From Out of Chaos
by Juulna
Summary: A random collection of drabbles, ficlets, and one-shots that are too short to post on their own. These fics will be Lizzington in focus, even if not specifically romantic. They will primarily be from season three and onward. I do not own The Blacklist or its characters. This collection is being reposted after being hacked. Originally posted November 1st, 2015.
1. Chapter 1

Red was shown into the back room of the bar where he and Lizzie were to meet later that day. He had been told very little over the phone when he was called to come in earlier than expected, but he hadn't failed to notice the slight hesitation in the voice of Lizzie's guard as he had relayed the request.

Lizzie looked up as he swept into the room in his usual manner, and she clambered to her feet at his approach. He couldn't help but notice that her hands were shaking, and that there was a puffiness to her right eye that heralded a glorious bruise appearing in the next few hours.

"Lizzie, what -" he began as he came to a standstill in front of her.

Before he could finish, she pointed behind the counter at the back of the room. The change in her stance cast light on the front of her shirt, and only then did he notice what could only be blood spatters on the front of her green silk shell.

Somehow he knew what he would find behind the counter before he even looked. It wasn't like he hadn't set this encounter in motion, so really, he shouldn't be surprised in the least.

What he was surprised at, however, was that Lizzie had emptied her entire clip into Tom's chest before he had even hit the ground. Well, that amount of anger and brutality was unexpected.

Turning to face her again, he smoothed his features into a gentle mask of caring for the woman he would do anything for. "What happened?" He asked calmly.

"He called me... said he had information that I would need to protect myself, to protect you. But then he just went crazy partway through the meeting. I had to protect myself. He wanted to hurt me." Her voice shook as she explained what had happened.

Liz took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Red, distracting him from asking anything further.

She didn't know how to tell him that she had initiated the altercation first, and only shot her unarmed ex-husband when he had threatened to kill Red. She didn't know if she could ever tell him.

Tom Connolly... Tom Keen... no one would threaten the man that she loved without consequence. The reminder of his threat caused her to start shaking again, but a steely glint flashed through her eyes even as she was somewhat disturbed by the callousness of her actions.

Red knew that she was hiding something, but he simply couldn't care less. His rival was dead. Now he could move on with the rest of his plans to claim Lizzie as his own, totally and completely.


	2. Chapter 2

Even after a whole day and night awake, the words "it's a girl" shocked Raymond Reddington into a state of hyper-awareness.

Liz, still gasping from her efforts, noticed that her husband had gone still beside her. Even as tears of joy, mixed with those wrought by pain, fell from her eyes, she gladly accepted the heartfelt congratulations of Dembe and Mr. Kaplan. They were the only non-medical personnel allowed into her private room besides her husband, for security reasons of course.

The doctor and nurses took her daughter to the cleaning trolley on the other side of the room, and she and her two friends took the opportunity to turn towards Reddington.

They had chosen not to learn the gender of their child for this exact reason. Raymond had already been off-kilter since learning of her pregnancy. Choosing to wait until the birth had been a calculated decision made by the both of them, but that was the only time they had ever alluded to the issue hiding behind his fear.

She had known it would be bad. So far, though, it wasn't as bad as they had planned for.

So they waited.

He was silent and still the entire time their daughter was being cleaned and measured. Eventually the nurse returned with their daughter and placed her in Liz's arms, nodding silently at the smiling new mother before retreating with the others from the room. Slowly, Liz brought her hand up to brush her fingers over the short, dark fuzz on the child's head. "She's beautiful..." she breathed.

"She's perfect."

Elizabeth Reddington looked up at her husband, only to find his gaze locked on their daughter's face. Tears were streaming down his face and a smile graced his lips. Liz grabbed his hand with her own and his fingers clutched at hers tightly. He leaned down to kiss Liz on the forehead and she felt fresh tears on her cheeks. She wasn't sure if they were his or hers.

"She's perfect," he whispered again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: I previously wrote this for Karalynne, on the occasion of her birthday.**

* * *

Peering through the crack in the doorway, she watched as the dark-haired woman leaned her head on the older man's shoulder. Her normally well-coiffed head of hair was loosely tousled and fell past her shoulders. The man's silvered hair was kept closely cropped as always, and his cheek was smooth where it rested against the top of the woman's head.

Elizabeth hummed in contentment and stirred against him, lifting her face to look Raymond Reddington in the eyes. "Dance with me?" she asked softly.

Instead of responding verbally, Raymond lifted his hands to grip her shoulders, squeezed gently, and then stepped back until he was out of the view of the one watching from the door. She could hear a vinyl record being slid out from its case and placed on the record player, and soon the soft crooning of a female jazz vocalist filled the room.

Raymond quickly crossed back into the watcher's field of vision and gathered Elizabeth close to him, pressing her against his body. A slow, smooth beat thrummed through the room and he began to lead Elizabeth gently around the room. There was no specific dance pattern being followed, not that the watcher could glean, but their bodies still moved comfortably to the rhythm. It was more a slow dance than any type of ballroom style.

As they danced, they periodically gazed into one another's eyes and ran their hands up and down the other's back and arms.

"Do you ever have any regrets, Lizzie?" Raymond finally spoke up on the far side of the room from the door.

"About what, Red?" She replied gently.

"Me… us… choosing my world over yours."

Elizabeth Reddington nudged her husband into continuing their stalled movements around the room, but she did not reply right away. Raymond's normally impenetrable mask took on a hint of concern as the silence lengthened. Although, from her position at the doorway, the watcher could not see Elizabeth's face, her body contained no tension. Indeed, it looked as if her body was molded into that of the man in whose arms she rested.

"Why would you ever ask that, after everything that we have done for each other?" She finally responded. "I know you have your doubts, but I love you. I find great solace in our life together, as your partner in love and in business. I have gained more respect and done more good through your world than I ever could while jumping through the hoops of my former way of life. We've turned this world on its head, you and me."

A smile had slowly formed on his lips and he gazed down at the woman in his arms with adoration, as if every word she spoke resonated with his deepest desire. He halted their slow revolutions just in front of the door and pulled her hips tight against his own. He dipped his mouth to her ear and growled, "you have a way with words, wife. Shall we continue this… dance… in private?"

Elizabeth's head shot up at that, her startled eyes darting to the doorway and catching those of their watcher. Thirteen-year-old Kara Reddington's laugh matched that of her mother's as her father reached over and shut the door firmly in her face. With a smirk of her lips to rival her father's own, she turned around and flounced off to find her younger siblings. Perhaps by occupying them for the remainder of the evening, she could make it up to her parents for interrupting their evening.

Smiling at the memory of the love on her parents' faces, her head filled with the hope that one day she would find the same for herself. Well… at the very least, hopefully God could provide her with someone who could dance.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: This is an AU set before season 1 starts.**

* * *

"I'll be turning myself in tomorrow, at the FBI main office in D.C. It will be time then to start the next phase of our plan."

"Do we have to do it this way, Red?" Elizabeth Keen looked up at Raymond Reddington from where she was curled up against his side.

"It's the only chance we have, sweetheart," he reminded her in an even tone.

"I know… you've explained it all before. It's the only way to draw out our enemies. We need to get into the FBI to make this work, but it just seems so scary now that the time has finally come. It seems so much more over our heads than ever before. But I want to do this… I want us to be able to straighten this mess out, and be able to smoke out the men who killed my parents." Her last words were bitten off vehemently. She paused before speaking once more. "And maybe finally we can discover who my… husband… is working for."

Red tilted his face down to brush his lips across the top of her head. "That's my favorite part, Lizzie," he hummed anticipatorily against her hair.

She smiled softly at his words. "Mine, too, Red." She turned in his arms. "This is going to be hard, pretending I don't know you, but remember that I love you, so very very much."

"I know, Lizzie. We'll get through this together, no matter what we need to do. We'll make it work so we can see each other like this as often as we can, but we need to keep up appearances as much, or more… than anything. They will hound you for what our connection is, but we need to do it this way. No matter how much I might annoy you," Liz's lips twitched in a smirk at that, "remember also that I love you."

"I will, Ray. Let's forget about this all for a while though, and enjoy the rest of our time tonight…" She turned in his arms to place a passionate kiss against his lips, breaking off moments later to let out with a gasp: "After all, we have a highly eventful day tomorrow. Plenty of people to scare, and to please immensely."

With a laugh, Red simply placed his lips back on hers and they said no more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: This one contains heavy and triggering topics/words. The topic of rape is mentioned throughout this ficlet, so I would advise you skip it if this is triggering to you.**

* * *

The doctor simply left the room without another word when Raymond Reddington dismissed him. There was nothing more he could have said anyway, to make his news easier to bear.

After two and a half months on the run, he had slipped up with Lizzie's protection detail - a flaw, a mistake, that was quickly taken advantage of by his and Lizzie's enemies. It had been ten days before they found her battered body in a warehouse halfway across Europe. She was still alive, and her spirit was unbroken, but things had been done to her that made Red lose his normally complete composure, a white hot anger filling him to the brim and crowding everything else out.

She'd been raped, the doctor had told him. It was also too late to use any form of emergency contraceptive, since the window was at most seventy-two hours before its effectiveness was null.

She was pregnant.

Pregnant by a rapist's filthy body. A man she seemed to have killed herself, if all the signs at the warehouse were being interpreted correctly. There was that, at least, but Red wished that he could revive him over and over again so he could kill him in increasingly awful ways for himself.

No one touches Lizzie without her consent, not without paying a terrible price at his avenging hands.

He hadn't even told her he loved her. Three months now, on the run together in close quarters, facing life and death situations often with only each other to rely on. He was sure somehow she knew, just as he knew she felt... something... for him. But he could never being himself to address the elephant in the room, for all his bravery and laissez-faire attitude in every other one of his dealings in life.

It was time for that to change.

Liz was sitting up in the king size bed, propped against countless pillows, and sipping a mug of hot chocolate when Red knocked on the door. "It's me," he announced softly through the heavy wood door.

Liz's gaze shot to the door and her heart seemed to stop. Could she face him, so soon? She didn't know how she could deal with the embarrassment of being so caught off-guard and helpless; with the fact that she'd let Red down by getting caught. She was filled with shame at disappointing him more than anything else that had happened to her over her incarceration.

It was only a body, a vessel to be used to achieve certain goals in this life. It could be fixed. She even had the option of... fixing... the pregnancy forced on her, albeit unintentionally she was sure.

She would never do that, though. It wasn't its fault. It was innocent in all of this - that had been something she had always firmly believed in in cases like this. Just because it was her body in question now, and not some faceless, amorphous rape victim, didn't mean she would change her mind. Their bodies, their choice. Her body... her choice.

"Lizzie? I can come back later."

She must have been silent for too long, lost in her current circumstances. She cleared her throat and set down her mug on the bedside table. "No, come in please."

He opened the door, eyes downcast, then shut it before he slowly crossed the room to sit in the armchair closest to where she lay in bed. He perched on the edge of the seat, rather than lounging in his usual, casual manner. Her eyes narrowed. He must have heard the news. Of course he'd heard.

"You've heard." She stated plainly before he could get a word out.

He was silent a moment before looking up at her and nodding. "I did."

Were those tears in the corners of his eyes? Her heart stuttered at the thought.

Liz moved closer to the center of the mattress and patted the spot beside her that she'd just vacated. "Come sit beside me?"

His eyes widened. "Are you sure, sweetheart? I don't want to bring up any bad memories of.. of..." He struggled to even finish the thought, let alone the sentence.

"I'm sure," she replied firmly, patting the bed again. After he moved to sit beside her, facing her direction, she rested her fingers lightly on his palm where it lay face up on his thigh. "Plus, you could never ever be equated with those bastards, Red. I feel safe with you like with no one else before... and I doubt with no else ever again. You've ruined me, it seems."

His eyes darted up to hers, startled at what she wasn't saying, hovering behind the words she was. He tried his best to still his breathing and heart rate.

She squeezed his hand, then lifted her other hand up to his chin and held it firmly within her grasp. She forced him to look into her eyes. He was amazed at her strength, her ability to touch a man after what had happened to her, no matter what words she spoke.

"Red, let me speak without interrupting me, even if what I have to say won't take long." She waited until he nodded shortly before continuing. "Being locked up there against my will, forced to do things no woman should endure, and having no idea if I would ever see you again, made me realize a few things. A few very important things. Foremost among those things was that I care for you deeply. I, in fact, love you very much. You've been there for me unconditionally, no matter how many cards you hold over me, and even with however many things you hold back from me. It allowed me to realize how much I think you care for me, also... Am I right? Red... Raymond... I need to know. I've gone through too much, and never thought I'd see you again. Never thought I could tell you these things, simply because the chance would be taken from me forcefully. Well I'm choosing to tell you before that chance is taken from me ever again."

She finally quieted down, her fingers now grasping his hand and chin much firmer than before. She awaited his answer with as much patience as she could gather and hold.

"Yes," he whispered.

Tears sprung to her eyes, even as his own closed with the intensity of his emotions. Silence descended over them as they mulled over all that their admissions entailed.

She spoke up again. "I've decided to keep it."

He opened his eyes, and moved closer to her, slowly gathering her into his arms while giving her every opportunity to pull back from him. "The baby?" He murmured into her hair.

"Yes," she sighed, releasing all of the air and tension from her body, relaxing into his body completely. She tilted her head up to place a kiss against the underside of his jaw through his light stubble.

"I understand completely Lizzie," he acknowledged everything she left unsaid. "On that note, since you already said everything that I had come in here to tell you anyway..." her eyes widened at that. "... I wanted to let you know that I will do everything in my power to assist you with whatever you decide to do. Since you want to keep it... I... well, I want to help you by offering my assistance as a partner. I, um, what I'm trying to say Lizzie, is that I will help you raise the baby as if it were my own, if you will have me. I can-"

Lizzie cut him off with a shushing noise, then turned in his arms until their foreheads were touching. "Red... yes. I would love that. I love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated over and over as she peppered kisses all over his face.

He reached up with both his hands to steady her face, so that he could finally kiss her on the lips. It was something he'd been wanting to do for a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: This one is set after episode 305: Arioch Cain (i.e. the hangar scene).**

* * *

They were sitting beside each other on a couch in their latest safe house, nursing neat scotches and staring silently at the blank TV. They had been for a while now.

It was Liz who first broke the silence. "Red?"

"Yes, Lizzie?" He kept his eyes trained forward as he responded.

"You really aren't my father, are you." It was said more as a statement and less as a question. She'd seen his eyes in that hangar; the beast wanting to break loose as she was sexually assaulted in front of him. Even if she'd had doubts before (which she hadn't), they were completely gone now.

"No, Lizzie." He took a sip of his scotch.

"Good," was all she could say to that.

Silence overtook them once more.

"Lizzie?" He couldn't keep his question in as his normal control was being eroded by the second.

"Yes, Red?"

"I already answered that for you before; why would you ask me again?" He knew there was something more to it than her simply wanting to know the answer once and for all.

She finally turned to look at his profile, leaning back against the arm of the couch. She rubbed at her scar with her free hand for a moment before steeling herself and replying. "Well, I didn't want there to be anything standing in the way of my next request. Well, query."

He raised his eyebrow and only then turned to face her as well. "And what would that be?"

She may as well dive in head first. "Well… I've heard some rumors about… you. And I wanted to know if they were true. Um. Firsthand." For all the nervousness of her voice, and the blush staining her cheeks, she made sure her eyes held steady with his.

"Are you asking me what I think you're asking, Lizzie?" He set his scotch down at his feet before he started to lean towards her. A smirk twitched at his lips.

She shivered as his voice dropped an octave and got quieter. "Yes."

"Say it." His eyes were absolutely smoldering.

She took a shaky breath, glanced down at her hands, and then looked up again to notice he'd moved even closer.

"Red… I've heard that being with you is like nothing else. That you can ruin a woman for any other man." Her voice gained strength as she went on. "I don't think I've experienced even half of what the rumors say. And I just can't keep to myself after seeing your eyes today. To think of all that turned towards me…" She paused and shivered before asking: "Will you show me?"

"Lizzie…" he breathed against her cheek. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Yes," she lifted her chin, even as it shook.

"Good." Then he twisted his face to capture her lips and show her exactly how truthful those rumors were. He'd damn-well show her what it was like to be with a real man, after nothing but her pleasure first. He'd erase all memories of her ex-husband if it killed him, but he'd die a happy man if he could succeed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: I was mildly inspired to write this chapter when reading Elsa_T's "Letters to" story on the Redzie FB group. Credit where credit is due!**

 **Also, I might be throwing a couple other things into this collection that were previously posted separately, rather than have this be the original 7 chapters only.**

* * *

Liz woke up, restless. Unable to return to sleep, she shuffled out of the strange bed and moved downstairs to see if Red was awake. Sometimes he was at this hour, she thought as she looked at her watch. It read that it was shortly after one in the morning.

He wasn't, though it hadn't been long since he'd left the den in the downstairs of the safe house if the smoking logs in the fireplace were any indication.

Moving to the desk by the window, Liz wrapped her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. The soft light of the moon was streaming through the window, and this glow allowed her to see what looked like a journal lying on the table. A lock was on the front of the expensive leather journal. She'd seen the symbol that was etched into its cover before, but she wasn't sure where. Clicking on the small reading lamp to see more clearly, she ran her fingers over the symbol and then over the lock.

The latch fell open at the touch of her fingers. Obviously it hadn't quite latched properly.

Lizzie was nothing if not curious, so she opened the journal to see who it belonged to, at the very least. There was no cover page on the inside; it was simply a wall of text from the start. She flipped through the pages quickly to see how much was filled. It was only about half-filled, though near the end of the journal, with a number of blank pages in between, her name suddenly popped out at her.

She stilled her fingers for a moment, and then returned again to the spot she had just seen. It was her name at the top, written letter-style.

 _Dear Lizzie:_

Well then.

Glancing furtively around the room to make sure she was alone, Liz tucked her hair behind her ears with one hand, grasped her shawl again, and rubbed the pages between her thumb and forefinger as she delved a little further.

 _I often find myself an eloquent man in speech, but with you I can never seem to say what is truly meaningful outright._

Oh. This was obviously Red's journal… that's where she'd seen it before. Well, she was hooked now. She couldn't put this down if she tried. She told herself she'd read only this part addressed to her then put the journal back the way she found it. Much of the text was illegibly crossed out; scrawled into obscurity under the furious swiping of a pen. It seemed so unlike how she'd imagined he'd write in a journal, but it was definitely his handwriting. Actually, she'd never really imagined him writing in a journal at all. She realized she was chewing obsessively on her lower lip and stopped the action before she bent her head to read again.

I _write in here when I cannot tell you in person what I really want to say. Sometimes the words just want to burst out of me, so I leave them here to lessen the agony of the desire to do just that. William Wordsworth said to "fill your paper with the breathings of your heart" and I have chosen to do just that right here._

 _Because I could never tell you these things – I know you would be horrified._

 _Horrified that an older man, whom you probably think of like a father at best, could love you as so much more. Horrified that every time I hear your voice, my blood pounds in my ears. Horrified that every time I see you, even your shadow, my body nearly betrays me._

 _For it's not only my heart that wants you, but my body as well. Your beauty is astounding. And, for all your prickly nature at times, your inner beauty is a thing of art as well. You are not a plain white or black; no, you never were. You are filled with colors, and even the grey betweens that make a person so much more compelling. I see in you a kindred soul, even if you have yet to acknowledge it._

 _But oh… how I long to touch you. This 'letter' I write to you is the only way I can control myself. Every time I see you I wish to kiss you; hear you moan; feel you shiver beneath my hands as I hold you against me; touch your smooth skin; worship your nubile body like the goddess you are… thrust into you for the first time and watch your eyes flutter close at the emotions that are coursing between us…_

 _There are no words to describe the sensations I experience as I hold myself back from doing all these things to you. It is my greatest wish that you will come to realize something for me, and let me know before I'm too old to do these things to you. But for now I'll_

"Find something you like, Lizzie?" A voice growled against her ear.

Liz gasped and dropped her hand from the pages of the journal, clutching her hands together against her chest. She hadn't noticed anyone come into the room, and now Red was standing behind her.

He pushed his chest against her back, and lowered his arms to cage her in against the desk from behind.

Tension vibrated between them, more than anything she'd ever experienced with him before.

Now was the moment for truth. She couldn't lie to him – not when she had forced herself upon his truth; not when she wanted exactly what he was describing, but had been too afraid to say or do anything for fear of rejection by this experienced and enigmatic man.

Now was the time to let him speak to her, face to face. She wouldn't let him hide behind the leather cover of his journal anymore.

She tilted her head back until it rested on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and whispered confidently. "Yes."


	8. If only we'd done this sooner

"The perimeter is clear, ma'am. We've looped the outdoor security feeds and have our inside man ready with his badge and fingerprints for you to enter the premises. Now, between you and me, I think it's mighty fishy that they haven't changed the location of the Post Office in the last three years, so be on high alert when you enter with -"

"Thank you, Ms. Cline, that will be all until I contact you to commence our entry procedure." Elizabeth Keen's voice was cool and collected as she cut off that of her operations leader. She flipped her slim phone closed and pocketed it in the front of her black linen trousers with one smooth motion.

Raymond Reddington raised an eyebrow at her abruptness, the only thing that belied her nervousness, but otherwise refrained from commenting. This was her operation, after all. Elizabeth was more than capable of managing any of the assorted teams that she had gained the absolute loyalty of over the past three years. Frankly, he was just along for the ride tonight.

Still staring straight ahead, the corners of Liz's mouth twitched upwards. She didn't even have to be looking directly at him to read him like a book - not anymore. Finally turning away from gazing at her target, she flipped her hair back over her shoulders and gave her head a quick toss to settle the waist-length auburn mass more comfortably against her back. With a slight frown, she muttered, "I should seriously consider cutting the damnable stuff."

Red's breath hitched as he caught her words; Liz's hair had quickly become one of his favorite features on the enigmatic woman. As her hair had lengthened, so had her reputation risen in Red's world - though she had quickly carved out her own niche in the criminal world and was now judged on her own merits and not simply as an attachment to Red's criminal enterprises. Needless to say, Red viewed her hair not only as a beautiful adornment, nor even just as a symbol of the powerful changes wrought in her since fleeing the clutches of the corrupt government... he also viewed it proprietarily, as a mark of his own on his protégé, representing his claim on her. Red acknowledged to himself with an inward smirk that that was a very illogical thing to feel about hair, and yet the thought of her cutting it made him clench his hands with possessiveness.

Liz arched an eyebrow at him, perfectly plucked and shaped, and then tilted her head at him. "Don't like not being in the lead, Mr. Reddington?" she teased, a smile playing on her lips. She was sure that that wasn't the problem, but she and him had developed a rapport over the last years where they didn't delve too much into ever single nuance of the other's speech or mannerisms. They learned very quickly while on the run that between a former FBI profiler and a well-prepared, professional criminal, that if they focused on every little thing they would drive the other to violence. Thus an unspoken agreement was soon arrived at, facilitating an easy transition into their new lives together.

He pursed his lips, accepting the easy out with aplomb. "While it is not my forte, I find watching you work while I'm simply along for the ride to be wonderfully exhilarating!" Although Liz had conducted numerous assignments and successful business without him since he had officially declared her competent in her newly chosen field, this was the first time that he would be actively involved in one of her missions. "I must say that, while dubious about the need to be here at the Post Office of all places, I am insatiably curious about what has brought you on a mission personally - let alone dragging me along for the party!"

"You'll see," she answered wryly, fully aware of how her words mirrored his from years before.

"I'm not even going to mention how silly it is to go into a place so close to your heart - ouch! Goodness, Lizzie, that was mighty childish of you, pinching me as if we were toddlers." He was grinning as he spoke, however, happy as always to see that she could let loose around him.

Liz locked her knees as her heart fluttered, like always, at the sight of his grin. It was one of the reasons she poked at him like... well, like a toddler. She just couldn't help it, even if that oftentimes led to day after day of cold showers. Occupying an estate and base of operations with him had its perks, but it was certainly eating away at the wall hiding her true feelings from him. Though it really was worth it for moments like these.

Ever an expert in deflection after years of playing games with this man, Elizabeth Keen knew when it was time to nudge the man off of her feelings' trail. She straightened her spine, adjusted her blue linen jacket, flicked her heavy hair away from her face again, and finally pulled her phone back out of her pocket.

Red's eyes took in her form voraciously as her own gaze gained a far-off look. She had certainly taken after his example, dressing to the nines even for a covert breaking-and-entering operation. At least her custom boots, while fashionable and expensive, wouldn't break her ankle if she had to land hard on her feet. And God forbid someone try to attack the woman: she had intensified her training in the last few years and he knew for a fact that her elegant suit encased not only his Lizzie's svelte, battle-ready form, but also no less than three blades, a garrote, and two handguns. Even he had a tough time picking them out and he knew exactly what part of her delectable body they were in contact with.

Lost in his appraisal, he didn't notice that the woman in question had finished her conversation with whomever had been on the other end. Liz stopped herself from immediately interrupting his daydream, instead taking the opportunity to assess the look he was giving her. She knew that he found her attractive, and he knew that she found him as such, but usually they were better at hiding it from each other than this. They strove to maintain professional boundaries and, at least on her end, she was sure he wouldn't be interested in anything more than physical - thus she refused to even go there and ruin their wonderful relationship as it stood.

Shaking herself out of her own daydream, she finally spoke. "Ms. Cline has done a last check of the perimeter. We've heard from our inside asset and he has confirmed the presence of our target. Operations command also confirms that outside camera feeds are looping and that we have the local cell towers temporarily shut down on 'official' maintenance. Everything else will be taken care of on the inside - and yes, before you say it, I trust this man implicitly."

Red tamped down a spark of jealousy at her words. She wasn't his; she could do whatever she wanted to do, with whomever she wanted to do it with. This seemed to be a common reaction of late for him, especially since Elizabeth had to trust people implicitly in her line of work, and there was a fifty-fifty chance that whomever she was working with at the time was a man.

"I've given Ms. Cline the go-ahead. She will personally make contact with our asset, notify me when all is secure, and then we will have five minutes to get through the door and into the Post Office proper. You're armed, I take it?" she asked dryly, winking at him.

Red nodded at her, mouth going dry at how attractive she was to him when taking charge of her operation.

"Excellent. We've got a kid to break out." Liz's eyes hardened at the last.

It was then that Raymond understood exactly what their mission was. He still wasn't sure why she'd suggested he tag along with her, but at least now one puzzle piece had clicked into place. Along with a number of other valiant, though still criminal, enterprises, Liz had taken to... rescuing, shall we say, the unacknowledged victims of criminals: their children, parents, and spouses. Liz always made sure that these individuals and families knew nothing of the crimes of their family members before making them disappear. She had learned from the best, and mistakes were rarely made in regards to this portion of her empire.

If Lizzie said they were going in, then whomever it was that was in there was certainly deserving of his lady's assistance.

"Let's do it then." His voice came out husky, his eyes darkened, and his lids hooded downward.

A thrill shot through her at the sound. If this was how he reacted to a little action and adventure with her, she'd have to take him out more often. Her resolve to keep him - and herself for that matter! - at arm's length weakened. That voice of his seemed worth the heartache in that moment.

Shaking her hair back again - did she just hear him growl? - Elizabeth answered the phone that was buzzing in her hand.

"Yeah? Okay, we're coming. Thank you Ms. Cline. No, please step back to the perimeter. I will handle this with Mr. Reddington."

* * *

"You're probably wondering why I brought you along with me," Liz murmured as she and Red strode towards the Post Office's parking garage.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Reddington replied to the back of her head, a step or two behind her.

"I didn't trust myself not to do anything foolish if I was here by myself; couldn't trust myself not to get sentimental and try to contact those who I know I really shouldn't." There was a wistful note in her voice as she admitted to this fact, but she kept her gaze locked upon their destination.

Red mulled her response over for a moment and , ever insightful, posed another question to the strong woman in front of him: "It's my understanding that you have a team in place that can work these extractions without you. Why did you decide to come yourself, if that were the case?"

Elizabeth pulled herself up short but did not turn around. She took a steadying breath and Red watched as she tilted her head to one side, pondering the question he had asked. After a moment, she resumed her walk forward. "I needed to reaffirm to myself that I am strong, I suppose. I didn't put much thought into my reasoning behind that choice, if I had to be honest."

Red didn't respond, but instead nodded to himself as he followed along in her wake. Her answer made perfect sense to him; it's what he would have done if he were in her position.

When she reached the service elevator, Liz withdrew her Glock from a holster in the back waistband of her suit pants. In the process, her suit jacket lifted enough for Red to catch a glimpse of the creamy skin at the small of her back. His eyes zeroed in on the spot and his breath hitched at the sight. It had been a hard three years of not giving in to his feelings for the woman who shared the majority of his life. Living in close quarters with her and watching her come into her own had deepened said feelings. In the last year he'd become aware that Lizzie had started to look at him with her own attraction, yet she still held herself back from acting on it . Until she did, he had to keep a better hold on his body's reactions to her presence.

Mentally girding himself, he brought his eyes up just in time to see the elevator door start to be drawn upwards. He reached for his own Browning Hi-Power, drew it, and aimed it at the person slowly being revealed.

Liz's stance relaxed and her pace quickened into a loping run as she saw the man who stood inside of the elevator. "Aram! Oh, it's so good to see you," she cried out.

"Liz." The soft-spoken man let a lopsided grin appear on his face as he greeted his old friend. "It's good to see you, too. Mr. Reddington, I didn't expect you." His grin faltered a little, but Aram managed to rein it into a soft smile. "But it is good to see you also, sir."

Reddington lowered his gun to his side as the man spoke, and let his lips twitch upwards into a form of a smile. "And you, Aram."

Liz turned slightly towards him. "Red, I've maintained contact with Aram since shortly after we fled. He's been an invaluable resource to me here. Plus, it's good to know that someone here supports me." A brief sadness passed over her features and Aram put a hand on her forearm in support. Liz smiled at him. "Well, are we ready?"

Aram nodded, and motioned for them to enter the elevator. "The boy is in the Box. I was able to manufacture some orders to get him into there, as it was the safest place I could think of for him to be if his father came for him. The cameras are looping and the microphones have been turned off for approximately three hours as we conduct 'scheduled maintenance' tonight. You have that long to get him out of here. The hallways are all safe to travel through, though I would try to stay out of the offices. I didn't even try to get the guards to change their patrols as that would have been too dangerous for my cover. I've done what I can, and the rest is up to you. I'll be in the server room the whole time, monitoring the situation. You can contact me in our usual manner if you need me."

Red was impressed. Not at Aram's skills, but at his newfound ability to speak in monologue without stumbling over his tongue in Reddington's presence. "Three hours will do just fine," he spoke up. "Thank you, Aram."

"Thank you, dear friend," Liz affirmed, leaning in to grab Aram's hand and give it a squeeze. "Be safe."

With that, the elevator doors opened, and Liz readjusted her grip on her gun. After making sure it was clear, she motioned for Reddington to follow her out into the Post Office proper.

* * *

Their first close call came when a guard started to step out of a stairwell right in front of them. Quickly sidestepping into a hallway, they were able to quietly move into an alcove before the guard passed by. Liz's eyes were glinting with adrenaline. Her breath was coming out a bit quicker than before. Red's eyes latched onto the pulse point on her neck, and stayed trained on it for long moments even as he stalked back out into the hallway after the guard had passed.

* * *

The second close call came when Red knocked over a mug on the edge of a desk. Quickly righting it, they high-tailed it to the nearest desk that provided shelter. Ducking under it and pulling their limbs under just in time as the door on the other side of the wide-open room shushed open.

Liz could hardly breathe as she felt Red's knee push against the side of her breast, his breath short and hot against her ear. She heard a rushing in her ears and cursed herself for bringing Red along on this mission. It had been difficult enough to control herself around him this last year, since she'd first started seeing him as attractive. In the last months it had become an even harder struggle, filled with personal tension relieving and avoidance tactics.

"The coast is clear now, Lizzie," he exhaled against her ear. He couldn't help but notice her shiver, and he grinned to himself.

She quickly scrambled out from under the desk, running her hands over her suit to make sure everything was in order. Raising her free hand to her hair, she combed it back from her face. Raymond recognized it as one of her nervous mannerisms.

"Come on," her voice was gruff with arousal and she flushed at the realization. His smoldering eyes met hers before she abruptly turned around and made for the far hallway, her strides quick and powerful.

* * *

Their third close call was the one that broke them. As they made their way down the final hallway to the Box, Liz's cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She quickly moved to answer it, nodding to Red to keep an eye on both ends of the hall. "Yes?" She whispered into the phone. "Okay, thank you. Notify me as soon as they're gone. We'll find a safe spot to hide."

As she put her phone back into her pocket, she turned around and stepped back until she stood in front of a door a few feet down the hallway. Motioning for Reddington to follow her, she opened the door, and winced when she saw how small the interior was.

Red stopped just behind her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Aram called to let me know the Attorney-General is coming into the Post Office," she whispered over her shoulder. "He has to turn the cameras back on to their normal operation; at least the inside ones, and only for the duration of their visit. The microphones can stay off at least. But until she's done with her visit, we need to get and stay out of sight." She paused, and huffed out a laugh. "This is the closest safe spot. I forgot how small it was, though."

Footsteps could be heard down the hall. "Shit," Liz muttered under her breath. "Okay, quick; let's get in. We only have another thirty seconds before the cameras come back online as it is."

With that, they both stepped inside and closed the closet door with a left the light off so as not to attract any undue attention. The chemical smell was not that bad, at least, Reddington thought. Who knew how long they'd have to remain in here.

Taking a step backwards, Liz ran right into the front of his body. She immediately stilled and let out a short, soft gasp. She hadn't intended to run into him, but the space was just so cramped. She made a motion to step away from him, but his hand came up and grasped her left hip.

"Don't move," the words came out barely above a breath. "They're walking just outside and you wouldn't want to run into anything." As he holstered his weapon, his body brushed more firmly against hers.

Her grip on her own weapon trembled and it took all of her concentration to reach behind her and holster it without dropping it. It wasn't until her hand brushed against him that she realized what part of his body was right behind her holster. His other hand grabbed onto her hip in reflex, trapping her arm between their bodies. His breath hitched and she felt him twitch against her palm. Holding her breath, she watched as shadows crossed the thin line of light coming through from under the door. Her heart raced and she felt Red's breath speed up against the back of her neck.

As her hair shifted with his breath, it tickled against his nose. His groin tightened even further at the sensation, though it wasn't until he went all in and shoved his nose into the thick mane of her hair that his hardened to its fullest, painful in its scorching intensity. The scent of her hair soothed and enticed all at once, and a soft groan parted his lips.

"Red?" Her soft voice reached his ears, many meanings hidden behind the one word.

He hushed her, both hands digging into her waist a little more, and they both held still until the sound of footsteps had dwindled and another minute or so had passed. Yet he still didn't let her go after the immediate danger had passed. In fact, they were both intensely aware of another, more… pressing danger – and it was certainly pressing against Liz's behind.

"Red?" she repeated again.

"I can't seem to hold on anymore, Lizzie," he ground his cock against her hand, still trapped between it and her ass.

"Hold onto what, Red?" Her voice quivered as she continued to hold herself still. Her heartbeat, though, had no intention of staying soft and sedate.

"How I feel about you," he murmured. He nuzzled some of her hair away from her neck with his nose and ghosted his lips over her pulse point. He could feel how much he was affecting her, and it only seemed to further his arousal.

Liz finally tried to move, attempting to distance herself from him as she spoke. "I know how you feel about me. You're attracted to me. But I won't be something for you to scratch an itch with and then dis -"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as Reddington quickly whirled her around to face him, even though they couldn't see each other in the darkness. He backed her up until she hit the flat wall at the back of the closet, and pressed himself against her from thigh to shoulder. One hand lifted up to twine in the hair at the nape of her neck. He used this grip to tilt her head to the side, granting easy access for his teeth to latch onto her earlobe for a brief moment. "You mistake me, Lizzie," he growled into her ear, "I would never simply scratch an itch with you." He ground his cock against the juncture of her thighs. "You mean more to me than that. Do you understand?"

Liz was speechless. All of the calm and composure that she had carefully cultivated over the last three years seemed to fly out the window, and she struggled to draw some of it back around her. Red's tongue flicked out to run against the pulse in her neck. "Do you, Lizzie?"

"Do… do I what?" she shuddered.

"Do you understand that I can no longer hide how much I care about you?"

"Why now?" She let out a harsh gasp as he shifted his hips and placed a thigh between her legs, easing hers open with his own.

"Something about being back in this damnable place with you," his lips brushed over her jawline, "has reminded me of the reasons I fell in love with you." Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Reddington hadn't quite planned on admitting to that much yet, but he was nothing if not fully honest with Elizabeth at all possible times.

At his words she let out another gasp, with a hint of a throaty moan to it as his free hand skimmed up her hip and his fingers stroked the bare skin under the hem of her blouse and jacket. This was what she had been dreaming of, with increasing frequency, for the last few months, even if she had felt it was unattainable.

"But, Red-"

"But what, Lizzie?" His fingers traced a pattern against the skin on her hip.

"We can't just do this here, in the Post Office."

"Mmm, I beg to differ," he whispered huskily against her cheek.

She summoned up the last of her will and stilled her body. "Red… Raymond. Listen to me for a moment."

His body quieted a little against hers. He hummed his approval at the use of his first name. "I'm listening."

"We're both attracted to each you say you… love me. But how can I trust that? I don't do meaningless flings, or even brief romances that would end in disaster. I worry this one would, as well. We have so much good between us as it is, in our partnership, and I would hate to lose that. You mean a lot to me, but I don't want to lose our camaraderie on a volatile emotional exploration."

Red smiled against her skin and she could feel it. She gloried in that smile.

"We won't lose that camaraderie. I have felt these things for a long time, and for all my flirtatious ways, you have been the sole focus of my life and my attentions. It would be so easy to shift into more between us. An extension of our partnership. An alliance. Not a consumption."

She thrilled at his words. "You want me. You want all of me. Not just the woman who relied on your strength when she was in need-"

"You as the woman you are right now. Your power. Who you have become on your own. Your strength is beguiling. Seductive. It would be me that would be consumed if anything…"

Deciding to go all in, just as he had done, she murmured to herself: "we most certainly have the time to explore," and rotated her head to blindly capture his lips with her own.

Red let go of her hair and brought his hand up to cradle the side of her face moments after their lips touched for the first time. It was better than he had imagined it to ever be. Her lips were soft, warm and plump underneath her own. Her lips quickly parted as he took over the kiss, deepening it with a groan. His tongue swept into her mouth, and he was not surprised in the least to have her own meet his sweep for sweep. She was no passive thing, his Lizzie.

His other hand, having previously stilled against the bare skin at her hip, pushed further under her shirt in an effort to feel more of her bare skin against his own. Liz brought her hands up to his chest and started to grapple with the buttons of his dress shirt. He laughed against her lips as he drew back slightly. "Lizzie, sweetheart, the jacket is supposed to come off first. Then the vest, then -"

"Shut up," she growled, but moved both of her hands to his shoulders as she used her memory to find his lips again. She pushed his jacket away from his shoulders and then off his arms. His hands immediately resumed their task, having already unbuttoned her suit jacket. He started working on the buttons of her soft blouse, pulling his torso away from her as more of her skin was revealed to his touch.

Their lips continued to move against each other, their tongues alternately tangling and teeth dragging and pulling against the other's lips.

Once both of their shirts were open, Red pushed her back against the wall again, and they both let out a shuddering gasp at the skin-to-skin contact.

"Finally," Liz spoke into his mouth, barely pulling back enough to get the words out. She brought both of her hands up to his head, her fingertips skimming over his short hairs. She grasped on tightly as he brought his right hand up between their bodies, trailing his fingers over her rib cage before cupping her breast in his hand. "Oh Red, yes…"

"Damn Lizzie, I've wanted to hear you say those words forever now!" He tried to keep his voice down as a result of their circumstances, but was finding it hard to do, given his other… circumstances. He hadn't felt this close to losing control in years. He couldn't believe that he was about to take Lizzie in a closet for the first time, never mind the fact that he never thought there would even be a first time.

Liz arched into his touch. "Really?" She was able to string enough thoughts together to respond to him in a coy manner.

"Yes, you minx, and you've known it, too." Giving her another quick, deep kiss, he slowly dropped to his knees in front of her. His hands on her thighs, he could feel her muscles quivering. She was having trouble supporting her own weight. Good. He smirked to himself. Bringing his fingers to the button of her trousers, he flicked it open with a practiced twist of the wrist. He drew her zipper down and clucked at her as she tried to grind her center against his hand. "Patience, sweetheart, is a virtue."

"Screw your fortune cookie phrases, Red - I want you to touch me, now!" Her voice, barely above a whisper, caught on a gasp as he pushed her pants down her legs.

He chuckled at her, and thanked his lucky stars that her pant legs were wide enough for her to lift her shod feet out of without having to take the time to undo them. He pushed her hips back against the cool stone of the wall, and leaned in closer to her body. Even though he could see barely more than her outline, he knew he was close to the region she so desperately wanted him to touch.

She could feel his hot breath against her core and she squirmed in his grip. When his fingers curled under the band of her underwear, she finally stilled. He slowly drew her bottoms down her legs, careful of her gun holster, and she gloried in the sensation of his hands skimming her lower body. Once her underwear had been removed he hooked one leg over his shoulder and leaned forward to place a kiss on the inside of her thigh, close to where she wanted it.

As soon as his tongue touched her nether lips, their bodies kicked into high gear. What had previously seemed to be a quick escalation of their physicality now seemed to be a languid pace in comparison. His tongue swept from back to front, pressing firmly against her clit at the end of the sweep before quickly moving back to repeat his motion. Her hands came down to clutch at his head again as she tilted her hips to grind into his mouth, suppressing her groans as best she could. He brought one hand down from her hip and inserted two fingers into her.

Her fingers spasmed on his head as his fingers quickened their pace, thrusting in and out of her. He twisted his hand around so that he could quirk his fingers and he was rewarded with her gasp when he found that special spot inside her. Catching her clit with his teeth, he gently rolled it between them until she came apart under his ministrations.

He withdrew his fingers from her and sucked them clean in his mouth as he stood up. Elizabeth's hands were suddenly all over the front of his pants as she rushed to undo them. Pushing them past his hips, she grabbed his cock with her other hand and reveled in the steely strength of lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, and, in one smooth motion, thrust up inside of her. He leaned forward and blindly captured her lips with his own just in time for them to groan into each others' mouths. He stilled for a moment to calm his breathing, and her hands came up to wrap under his armpits and latch onto the back of his shoulders. The bare skin of both their chests pressed together.

"Red…" she murmured. "I have no idea what madness has come over us in here, but I swear to God, if you do not start moving, I will hold it against you!"

His mouth caught hers again and he adjusted her legs to wrap fully around his waist. He started to move his hips slowly against hers, moving in and out of her wet heat. He reveled in every sensation but his resolve was truly tested when her walls started to clench against him. She was close again, and he had barely started to move.

His pace increased and she came apart in his arms once more. Her fingers dug into the material of the vest which was still around his shoulders, and she panted, desperate for air as she tried to catch her breath. He was still moving inside of her but his pace was becoming increasingly erratic. Liz drew one hand between them to flatten against his chest, the edge of her pinky catching his nipple through the coarse and thick hair of his chest. He faltered in his movements at that, and Elizabeth zeroed in on the telling motion, bringing her thumb and forefinger to bear on his nipple. With a quick pinch on the bundle of nerves, he broke. His body shoved hers back into the wall with four more quick thrusts as he came deep inside of her.

She stroked his head as it fell against her collarbone, her legs loosening but not falling off of his hips as he held her still against the wall of the closet. Suddenly, she cursed and dropped her legs, pushing him away from her as she rooted on the floor for her pants.

The only thing that stopped him from being insulted at the quick change in position was her constant cursing under her breath as she obviously tried to find the cell phone he could hear buzzing against the floor through the cloth of her pants. He pulled his pants back up and fastened them with a smile pulling at his lips.

"Yes?" Her voice was gruff and deep with remaining passion as she answered the phone.. "Okay, thanks Aram. You're sure they're gone? No, no, I'm not questioning – okay, thanks again. We're ready to go, we'll make our way through the rest of the operation quickly. I'll call you once we're out. Bye."

"Ready to go?" Red asked.

She nodded, only to realize that he couldn't see the movement. "Yes." She quickly dressed and straightened her clothes in the dark, then pulled the door of the closet open. She looked back at Red, trying to hide her embarrassed grin in her swaying hair once she caught sight of the admiring look on his face.

There was no way he was able to hide the feelings on his face at the moment, and he knew it. He reached up to run his fingers over her hair and drew her in for a last kiss. Liz reveled in the movement of his lips over hers before drawing back and smiling at him. "Let's go get this kid out of here, but I think it's safe to say that I am not worried about the draw of this place anymore. As it stands, we are so talking about this when we get home."

She quirked her lips up, gave him a meaningful glance, and practically flounced out of the small room.

He admired the view of her rear, and replied after he followed her into the hallway. "I haven't loved the sound of the word 'home' as much as I do right now."

They both drew their guns again, and walked side by side towards the room that held the Box.

* * *

 **November, 2030**

"Please welcome our guest lecturer, former Assistant Director Harold Cooper, who once headed up the task force called 'The Blacklist'. He's here to speak for the final installment of Quantico's special lecture series on criminal couples and how to catch them. While this isn't a formal class, I expect everyone to be respectful as if it were!"

The full auditorium surged to their feet, applauding as a greying man in his sixties made his way up the steps of the stage to the lectern. His gait was confident and his bearing dignified, and every student, agent, and invited guest wished that they could gain the reputation of this man in their own careers.

He came to a stop at the lectern as the projector screen slid down into place, waiting patiently for the audience to take their seats. He adjusted the microphone and pulled his reading glasses out of his pocket, even though he had no notes in front of him. He didn't need notes. He knew this topic as if it were his own life he was speaking on.

He took a deep breath, picked up the remote for the projector, and began. His strong voice carried through the auditorium without need of a microphone.

"It's a matter of public record now – very public record at that – as to why The Blacklist was formed. As to who formed it. I will not be getting into the details of those years with Raymond Reddington and Elizabeth Keen working for the FBI, as a result. Instead, I will be focusing on what happened afterward. Their legacy, if you will. As much as it pains us to admit it, they still have a legacy in the criminal world; one we weren't able to fully shut down.

"By studying who they were as individuals, and especially who they were to each other as a couple, it is our hope to better understand their archetypes for future permutations of these sorts of criminal connections. Recent studies have shown that there are in fact very few real criminal or terrorist couples, but those who are out there are proving to be hard to understand. There needs to be more research done on that. That is the whole point of this lecture series, of course. The irony is that Elizabeth Keen herself would be far better at giving this lecture, even if the topic wasn't her own life story. Being a criminal profiler brought her thought patterns closer to the criminals she worked to understand. Perhaps that's part of what went wrong.

"Not saying that you criminal profilers are all criminals-in-waiting, of course," he joked with a wry smile for the audience. Nervous laughter fluttered in the air, quickly dissipating as Cooper carried on.

"But it can certainly be a risk, it seems.

"Eliabeth Keen, née Scott, shot and killed Attorney-General Tom Connolly in May of 2015 after apparently murdering Senator Hawkins and bombing an outpost of OREA agents. She went on the run with the assistance of the Blacklist's creator, Raymond Reddington, and was able to elude capture from that moment on. Although she was later cleared of all these charges as a result of information essentially being gift-wrapped to the task force created for her capture –" He clicked the remote and a photograph of five men and women tied up in the Post Office's service elevator appeared on the screen. "– Agent Keen, excuse me, Ms. Keen… gave her first and only video statement to a reporter in Bolivia, in 2020." He pressed another button and a video clip started to play on the screen.

Elizabeth Keen, well-dressed in a crisp linen suit with a silk scarf wrapped around her throat, appeared on screen. She smiled right into the camera, and spoke. "It gladdens my heart that my name has been cleared for the crimes that were attributed to me falsely, and carried out by the Cabal in truth. However, I cannot return to my old life. There have been crimes perpetrated by me during my time on the run that prohibit me from returning to the way things used to be. Unfortunately, that just seems to be the way things happen when trying to escape an injustice at almost all cost. I have killed no innocents, but have done other things that the United States would happily arrest me for once they had welcomed me home with open arms. It's not worth the risk. My life is with my organizations now. I do good work. I'm happy with that." The scene cut off with Liz shrugging and smiling shyly at someone off-camera.

Cooper finished his sip of water and resumed his lecture. "Unfortunately – or fortunately, for her – she was correct. The United States had full intention of arresting her once she'd returned, after making a show of welcoming her back with open arms. Honestly, it was a little silly of them not to even pretend to offer her immunity. But, that's beside the point now. One of the crimes she's alluding to, in fact, took place at the very same facility she'd – we'd – worked at, the Post Office. She and Reddington orchestrated an extraction of a boy who had been held at the facility, committing numerous felonies to achieve their goal. This was two years before her innocence to the crimes in 2015 came to light. So yes, she was right. We had plenty to pin on her no matter what.

"Well, she had other reasons to disappear back into the criminal world. While it's unsure on exactly when their relationship started, she and Reddington were obviously involved by the time 2020 rolled around. It's my personal belief, based on photographs, sightings, and my personal observation of their early years interacting… that they did not engage in a romantic relationship before 2018. But they did indeed have an amazing connection before that. Yes, I said amazing. To watch them interact made you feel as if you were intruding on something extremely personal and electric, even if they were only platonically involved at that point. It made some people very uncomfortable, in fact.

"This same connection led people of all types around the world to call them a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. No one could deny it, even though many argued as to what their actual connection was. Reddington, over the years, retained the moniker of the Concierge of Crime. Elizabeth – excuse me, Keen – gained a new name for herself. Or rather, two. Her most commonly used name, the one she went by and could be found by in the underworld, was based primarily on her past, but also on skills she brought to the table for her new criminal empire: she became known as the Criminologist. The other, as I'm sure many of you more romantically-inclined know already, is Hades' Queen. A rather… dramatic nickname, really, but it kind of fits.

"Anyway. Keen became Reddington sometime in 2021. Records from some church in India show proof of that, as well as their confirmed signatures. No one dared use them against each other after the first couple of attempts. Their reputations soon preceded them.

"While Elizabeth had started off by essentially being given the reins of Red's 'criminal disappearance' enterprise, she soon shrugged off the criminals in lieu of the criminals' families. Based on her past, it's oddly fitting. She not only hid them from governments and enemies, but also from the criminals themselves. She became a last resort – or an only resort – for some people. Criminals grew to fear her and her team, much as they feared Reddington. But they also grew to need her. As Elizabeth and Reddington – Mr. and Mrs. Reddington, really – combined their empires more fully, she helped in almost all aspects of his business. Illegal arms, drugs, intelligence gathering and selling… anything he did, she did, essentially. She never stood back quietly. That was never her thing.

"What makes them into such… interesting characters, if you will, is that a lot of their proceeds went to charitable deeds. Mind you, these charitable deeds were always done in their own manner. They chose what happened with their money. It was almost always to assist the victims of human trafficking, though they did have some other pursuits like wildlife preservation and the promotion of adoption. They became the darlings of the criminal world, even to the general, non-criminal, populace. It started to become a game to people, to help them escape, to help warn them of our presence on their tails. These two, by sheer charisma and charitable acts, were able to convert people to their cause; to make them overlook their various other misdeeds and assist them.

"What caused that? Well, that's a topic of discussion for later in the lecture.

"Continuing with their general biographies, it's suspected that Elizabeth and Reddington had three children. No one knows for sure. It's suspected that if they did have children, the Reddingtons used their connection with expert forgers to have birth certificates and passports made, listing their last names and their birth parents as other than what they really were."

Cooper paused the slideshow of random images of the criminal couple and pressed a button to bring up a collage of specific photographs. There were a few grainy images of Elizabeth wearing loose-fitting clothes, which was abnormal for her. One or two were photographs of her carrying a baby. A couple other photographs were of her with three different children. One government satellite photograph had what looked like a small baby in Red's arms atop what was obviously a hotel rooftop.

"These are the only photos we have that could prove that, however. It's not much to go on. They obviously hid their children from the public very well." He pointed at the satellite image. "That photo there… we arrived within a half hour of that photo being taken, and they were gone. The Reddington's sources have always astounded us." He returned to the topic of children. "Even in the criminal world – even their enemies – seemed to close ranks around the Reddingtons as far as their supposed children were concerned. Not many of the common variety could speak to the truth of the rumors or not, but those who would know, those who were in the circles that would have access to that knowledge… they were as close-lipped as anyone could be. That amount of loyalty means it was earned, not bought."

He clicked the projector to the next set of photos. These ones were of a more serious nature, and the smiles slowly slid off the group's faces.

"Four years ago, Red Reddington was killed by an assassin that claimed to be from the KGB. The KGB disavowed any knowledge of the event, however. The assassin disappeared. The body disappeared. But we are certain it was him. Initial results and photographs provided enough conclusive evidence to show it was Raymond Reddington who died.

"Elizabeth's reactions in the aftermath of his death certainly served to underscore the proof. She was absent for months but when she reappeared she'd lost weight, had become quieter, and seemed to be a harsher taskmistress and deadlier enemy than ever before. All this from first-hand reports. What few images we were able to collect proved as much as well. But overall she was seen far, far less than ever before. Grief will do that to even the hardest of us all. And believe me, Elizabeth was certainly not amongst the most hard, for all her criminal proclivities.

"His previous right-hand man, Dembe, quickly took over as a partner for Red with Elizabeth, and another woman only known as Ms. Cline helped to pick up some of the slack on Elizabeth's end. The three of them were able to hold things together almost as well as before, but the whole organization seemed to just lose a… I don't know… a spark, as soon as Red died. They continued on, much the same, however.

"But two years ago, on a rescue mission Elizabeth was leading in Afghanistan, she was killed by the terrorists she was infiltrating. Two other members of her team died alongside her in a video live-streamed on the internet. Their bodies weren't found, but teams tracked down the compound and were able to collect enough DNA evidence to confirm the events of the video."

Cooper took a deep breath at that, and let it out slowly. Those in the front rows could see a glistening at the corners of his eyes, but it just made them like him even more for it. His compassion, underneath his gruff exterior, was what made him loved by all. He finally continued after another few seconds of silence.

"Interestingly enough, some of the best knowledge about this criminal power couple was gathered by non-governmental agencies in the last few years. People's passion over criminals never seems to know any bounds. Biographies and fiction, books and blog posts, even stories written by fans and shared on fan-sites… the months after each of their deaths were especially replete with new work.

"It's unfortunate that we weren't able to catch them ourselves, and that they died in this manner. No matter what, they were friends to many… even me. Sometimes it's hard to grasp they're dead. But at the same time, I think it's better for them, being dead. As much as we love our government, we know sometimes that they can be harsh to those that have wronged them." His eyes hardened at that. Cooper knew that he had enough clout to get away with saying that.

"Well, let's take a fifteen-minute break and then come back in for the bulk of the lecture on what we learned about criminals as a result of the Reddington's careers. Thank you for your attention so far!"

* * *

From the back row of the auditorium, a man on the cusp of his seventies followed the guest speaker's progress off the stage. His sharp eyes softened as he turned his eyes to his companion, a woman in her late forties, though still as beautiful as ever to his eyes. "Well, sweetheart? Is your curiosity finally satiated?"

The woman fiddled with her visitor's pass and then glanced up at him slyly from beneath her lashes. "Yes," she replied softly. "Let's go before someone catches on. I want to get home to the children. I'm sure they're driving Kate mad by now. She'll never forgive us if we get… detained."

He smirked at that, though his eyes were back to monitoring everything around them. Standing up, he reached back for her hand so that he could help her to her feet. "Let's get going, then. God spare us from Kate's wrath."

Liz's laughter made Red's heart clench as much as the first time he'd heard it, and his grip tightened on her hand as they set out to make their way back to their home; back to their new and shared life.

* * *

 **Note: The last section of this, the epilogue, was requested eagerly by the wonderful vaperez on FF. Special thanks goes to Happy_Veggie_Farmer, FilmsAreFriends, Catherine_Medici, and the wonderful Elena for alpha reading. This was actually my first ever fanfic, posted originally on October 1st, 2015, before I was hacked in January 2017.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has supported me over this trying time! You all are wonderful. This fic was originally posted separately, but I've chosen to include it in my drabble collection this time around. :)**

 **xoxo**


	9. A certain lack of control

**Note:** **For the lovely ElenaGeorge! This was a prompt for Christmas of 2015, but I'm just now reposting it after being hacked. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It had been over three years since he'd last had sex.

You wouldn't know it, if you watched the way he interacted with the world around him; with the women he encountered on an almost daily basis. And plenty of people watched him these last few years, especially his sweet, sweet Lizzie.

It turned out, however, that his Lizzie had been doing a heck of a lot more than just watching him of late. Last week she'd drunkenly admitted to wanting him before falling asleep in his arms. He'd had to grab her wine glass before it fell from her loosened grip, but he'd barely even managed that as he was in shock from her statement. He had thought she'd forget her admission the next morning, but her blushing stammers were proof that she hadn't.

He'd kissed her then, softly, but Dembe had interrupted them before anything further could occur.

And in a way, he was grateful for the interruption.

The simple touch of her lips to his had had him reeling; his pants tightening way too quickly; and the feel of an orgasm creeping up on him suddenly.

That would have been embarrassing.

The truth of the matter is he hadn't even touched himself for the last seven months. Nevermind the fact that they were fleeing from the FBI for months, and then they spent a lot of time in close quarters (thus making it very awkward to even get an erection, let alone take care of it), there was more to it than that. Even though he was known to be a copious masturbator, he had become increasingly frustrated with his inability to bring himself to orgasm. Every time he would get close, he would think of Lizzie's beautiful blue eyes filled with tears, and everything would just go soft again. Nothing worked, so he just stopped trying. He had only just resigned himself to the idea of never again being able to pleasure himself when Lizzie told him of her feelings.

Which brought them to today. She was coming over this evening, and had been flirting heavily with him during their brief moments alone over the last week. She was hinting that she wanted him to kiss her again; that she wanted him to caress her as a woman should be caressed… he even recalled with stunning clarity the words she'd whispered into his ear at the Post Office before he'd left there this afternoon: "I've been having this recurring dream this last week, of you bending me over my desk. Needless to say it's been making working here quite… hard."

Oh, the little vixen.

He'd had to practice meditative techniques that he hadn't employed in years, just to stay sane. All because of a woman half his age. And here he was, not even able to hold in a groan at the simple memory of her words.

He was in _so_ much trouble.

* * *

Reddington greeted her at the door of his safe house, fully encased in his own version of armor: a three-piece suit, including tie, fedora, and shoes shined to perfection. He hoped that they would assist him in maintaining at least a modicum of control during the evening to come – at least for a little while at least.

"Lizzie," he acknowledged her with his customary drawl and smirk.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of him, and filled with a heat he easily recognized. "Red," she drawled right back at him.

Oh, _no_ …

She grabbed his hand and dragged him through the house, not stopping until they reached the master bedroom.

She even _winked_ at Dembe on the way up, the other man's eyes widening before he let out a laugh of utter delight. Red swiveled around to blink at his right-hand man in consternation, even as he was being pulled in the complete other direction by the woman of his dreams.

Damn it.

This was not going as planned _at all_. She had complete control of the situation, and he couldn't bring himself to take it back from her. He couldn't help but think that perhaps he sort of liked her taking the lead like this; that making it all her choice would make him feel less like he was –

"Too much thinking, not enough undressing," Lizzie taunted him as she pushed him against his already-closed bedroom door. When had that happened?

"What?"

"I _said_ , you're thinking too much, Reddington." She lifted her chin to place an open-mouthed kiss against the underside of his jaw. Barely noticeable stubble was rough against her lips, but she seemed to love the sensation since she kept moving her lips back and forth over the roughness.

She groaned, and he felt himself stiffen fully; his body was finally catching up to what was happening to it.

At least those meditation techniques seemed to be helping. He was doing a heck of a lot better than he was that first time she kissed him last week.

"My _God_ , Lizzie," he gasped out. "What has gotten _into_ you? You're positively voracious. I've never seen you so brazen." He brought his hands up to rest on her shoulders, not knowing where else to put them. His brain was still playing catch-up. She had him completely off-kilter. Raymond Reddington off-kilter with a woman? He'd see about that!

Lizzie got up on her tip toes to whisper into his ear. "The only thing I want getting into me is you, Red."

Okay, nevermind. His brain clouded over even further with lust. Maybe he wouldn't be gaining the upper hand.

"Lizzie," he tried again. "Slow down, sweetheart."

She pouted up at him. "What? You don't want me?"

"No! Of course I do, Lizzie," he protested. "Just, you're going so fast. Don't you want to take this slow?"

"I've waited too long for this moment, Red," she panted. "I've wanted you for far too long, and don't you lie. I've figured out that you have as well. All those nights we had to share beds? The way you purposefully turned away from me, putting distance between us? It all makes sense now," she growled into his ear again. "I don't _want_ to wait."

"Well, if the lady insists…"

"She does!"

And with that, he set his mind to the task of pleasing his lady. He tried desperately to get rid of the cobwebs clouding his brain. She deserved his full mental capacity.

Grasping her by the shoulders once more, he flipped them so that she was pushed against the door. She groaned as he leaned down to nuzzle the dip below her clavicle. She reached up with both hands and tugged on his suit jacket. "Off!" She practically barked out the words.

Holding her against the door with his lower body, at which she moaned even further at the proof of his desire for her, he reached up to practically rip the buttons off of his jacket and dress shirt. He pushed them down his arms and off, to fall on the floor behind him, and then lifted his lips from her jawline long enough to pull his undershirt over his head.

Already having seen his scars while in close quarters with him before, she smoothed her fingers over the rough skin lovingly. She quickly skimmed her fingers all the way to the waistband of his pants as he captured her lips with his. He kissed her deeply; hot, open-mouthed kisses which left her gasping for air each time he pulled briefly back. She soon forgot what she was doing, losing herself in the sensations he was evoking within her.

She found herself on his bed, naked, having no recollection of just how she'd got there – though she knew that her body was aching desperately and she wanted him inside of her _now._

Blinking up at him, she saw that he still had his pants on. No, that just wouldn't do at all.

She stopped herself from moving, however, when she saw how still he'd become. He was panting and had an absolutely desperate, wild look in his wide eyes.

He was trying to breathe deeply, grasping mentally for those meditative techniques he'd been practicing. The sight of her beautiful, nubile body was almost too much. Added with all the other sensations his body was experiencing, and he was too close. If he moved, he'd come. If she touched him, he'd come. For that matter if _she_ moved, he'd come. He would bet on it.

Deep breaths.

He could do this.

But oh my goodness was she ever beautiful!

When Red looked like he'd calmed himself down, Liz sat up and moved to get on her hands and knees. Her supple breasts swayed slightly as she moved across the mattress towards where he stood at its side. Slightly calmed down, herself, just by watching him, she slowly reached her hands up to his belt and tugged it open. Pushing his pants and boxers past his hips, she licked her lips as his thick cock sprang out.

Red didn't notice the look of absolute hunger that had settled on her features, as he'd closed his eyes. It was easier to maintain control that way.

However, his eyes soon shot open at the touch of her lips on the tip of his cock.

 _Oh my God, oh my God, oh shit…_

"Lizzie!" His hips shot forward as he half-shouted her name. This was definitely not the right thing to do if he wanted to stay in control, since his cock parted her lips and he ended up deep in the wet heat of her mouth.

She made a hum of absolute pleasure at the way he ended up in her mouth. Obviously she enjoyed him filling her up, in more ways than one. She pulled her body closer to his, kneeling on the edge of the bed closest to him. With one hand she cupped his balls, and with the other she pulled him closer by gripping his backside.

Red gritted his teeth. He could feel the tic under his left eye growing steadier. She was good at this. So, so good. She obviously liked it as well, since she kept making the most beautiful sounds with her delectable throat. She worked up and down his shaft with little licks and nibbles, switching it up every so often by taking him deeper and deeper down her throat.

"Sweet… heart…" He managed to grind out. "If you keep… doing that… I'm going to – oh _shit!_ " He finished in her mouth with a yell, gripping her hair with both hands and holding her right where she was until he finished convulsing.

Bloody hell.

While absolutely wonderful, it was also utterly embarrassing. He had barely lasted a minute once she'd set her lips to him. How… _juvenile_ of him. His cheeks flushed bright red, even before he did anything else.

He pulled out of her mouth, eyelids fluttering shut at the sight of her swallowing and then licking her lips. She looked like the cat that'd got the cream.

He fell to his knees in front of her on the bed, and she pulled his head into her lap, whispering soothing words as she kneaded his scalp, occasionally scraping behind his ears with her fingernails.

"Oh my God, Lizzie," he rasped out. "I am so sorry. That is so embarrassing. I can't believe I came so quickly. I haven't… I… shit. I haven't been with anyone in ages," he finally admitted.

She shushed him, putting a finger to his lips. "Then I'm glad I'm your first in a long while," she preened.

"I know, but I'm sorry. We'll have to wait a while before I can get hard again. I wanted this to be special for you, sweetheart. I was so worried this would happen, and it did, and I-"

She stroked his back, then tilted his head up so that he was looking up the length of her body to meet her eyes. "Oh but Raymond, there are many _other_ ways you can please me in the meantime." Her satisfied laughter filled the air.

 _Oh._ Yes. Yes, there certainly were many, _many_ ways he could please her while they waited.

* * *

 **Note: Elena's prompt was that it's Red and Lizzie's first time, and Red comes too early. He is embarrassed, but Liz is ecstatic!**


	10. Strength

**Note: This one was written for Happy_Veggie_Farmer(check out her work on AO3; it's great!) before I was hacked, who requested a friendship scene between Lizzie and Dembe. It's set after episode 308, Kings of the Highway. Pretty darn G-rated. ;)**

* * *

They were thrown into the back seat of a black, government-issue SUV. Liz's eyes were wide and her hair was tangled and covering her face. She tried to calm her breathing as best she could while stealing a glance at Dembe. Both their hands were cuffed behind them but they were able to right themselves from where they'd landed practically on their sides.

Ressler and another field agent were arguing outside the car, gesticulating wildly and angrily. In a perimeter around them, other agents stood at the ready, facing both away from and towards the vehicle.

Liz let out a little huff of laughter, which caused Dembe to glance sharply at her. He raised an eyebrow.

She raised one right back after she tossed her hair out of her face as best she could. "Yes?" She asked haughtily.

"Are you alright, Elizabeth?" As always, his voice was composed, though firm.

She smirked at him. "Don't worry, I'm not going crazy. Just thought it was a little silly that they," she shrugged her shoulder towards the agents outside, "consider me so dangerous. Well, us I suppose. But yeah, we're not the ones they should be so worried about."

Dembe was quiet as he continued to look at her. He kept looking at her until she grew uncomfortable with the silence and the staring. Finally, she broke. "Dembe?" Her voice was quieter; less strident than before. A little less hysterical.

"You must remain calm, Elizabeth. Have faith. Raymond will rescue you. You know he plans for everything." He didn't care if there were listening devices in the vehicle. If the FBI were smart, they would know Reddington would stop at nothing to rescue Liz.

It was Liz's turn to gaze at him silently for long moments. It was the most she'd heard him speak recently, but his voice helped to soothe her. Her face softened finally and she sidled closer to him so that she could gently rest her head on his shoulder. They weren't as close as she and Red were, but their bond had been growing in recent months. She was dead-set on making sure this occasion only strengthened her bond with this strong, silent, but ever so loyal man. She could use all the friends she could get, now more than ever.

"He'll rescue us, Dembe. Us."

He paused only a moment before responding. "He will at that."

They remained leaning against each other even as Ressler and the other agent got into the vehicle. Liz closed her eyes and focused on the man… her friend… beside her – rather than the man in the front who she had once considered a friend and partner.


	11. A great summer (for both of us)

**Note: A fic requested by my lovely Elena. This one is completely AU besides a couple of salient points. Red is 20, Liz is 18. You can ignore the last scene if you wish!**

* * *

It was as if she knew his deepest desires before he even spoke them. He figured this was why she was studying to be a profiler, but it seemed more than that between them. Their connection was palpable, magnificent, and electric… beyond anything he'd ever experienced before.

His training in naval intelligence hardly afforded him with opportunities to get away from the Academy, but he still took every chance he could to get away; to live like a normal person for a while. Although he couldn't quite relax in his uniform, Elizabeth hadn't been turned off by it when they had run into each other – quite literally – at the jazz festival.

"Please, call me Liz," she murmured after their second hour of conversation at the rear of the park. They had long since discarded any pretense that the music was more interesting than each other. Although they both enjoyed the music, they both sensed something far more important burgeoning between them.

"Okay… Liz," he replied, smiling at her as he ducked his head. He peered shyly at her through his lowered eyelashes. "Wait, that doesn't work." He worked his mouth without speaking, in a way that Liz already found endearing for all that she'd only known this man for a couple of hours. "My great-aunt was named Liz and she was a bit… nutty. No, that won't do at all. How about… Lizzie? Yes. Yes, that will do quite nicely," he grinned triumphantly as Liz looked down at her hands in her lap, blushing.

She cleared her throat and darted her eyes back to his. "So, tell me what you plan to do with your life…"

They finally called it quits a few hours later as the festival clean-up crew swept through the park, with numbers exchanged and promises given to call soon. Ray wasn't sure if he could work up the courage to call her, even though they'd hit it off so well at the festival. It wasn't like he wasn't confident that she liked him, but as usual his doubts assailed him. His life was no picnic, and it would just get harder after he graduated from the Academy and was given his first handling assignment. Maybe he shouldn't be worrying about things so far down the line, but that was simply his nature. Could he really start seeing this glorious woman and then cut their time so unforgivingly short? He felt that she was a woman he could easily get lost in, but at the same time, his career was so very important to him. He believed in what he was doing.

In the end, it was Lizzie who called and said exactly what he was thinking.

"Hey… I kind of pegged you as one who wouldn't easily call, so I did the work for you," she teased him gently.

He flushed as he gripped his cell phone in hand. "I'm sorry, I've never really done this sort of thing before."

"You've never called a woman on the phone?" She asked, her tone taking on a gentle cast.

"Not… really. I had a girlfriend, once, in high school, but it never really went far. I was so focused on school, and my father and mother were so insistent on my career path, that I've never really had time to learn the… dating dance, I guess you could call it."

"Oh Ray." He could hear the hint of laughter in her voice, but oddly enough he wasn't insulted by it. With this woman he somehow felt it would be improper to hind anything, and so he didn't. She felt right. Warm. Inviting.

"I… don't have much of any experience at all, Lizzie, to tell you the truth. I know how to treat a woman right, but beyond that I never found the time." The last was said in a bit of a rush. Even if he didn't want to lie to her, he couldn't find the words to let her know just how inexperienced he was with personal encounters other than the television.

Somehow she was able to tell what he couldn't outright say. "I understand. I… well I've had a couple of experiences, but nothing worth writing home about, you know?" she asked rhetorically.

He hummed in response anyway, and she quirked her lips at the noise.

She carried on. "Listen. I know that you and I are both young and we have our lives ahead of us… important careers, at that… but what do you say we forget that for a while and just enjoy our connection for a while?" She paused but he could tell that she was going to continue so he held his tongue. He didn't quite know what to say yet, anyway, in response to her mirroring his thoughts so well. "We could explore what we didn't have the time or inclination for in high school, and just enjoy each other's company. Then we see where we're at when it comes time for me to move for university?"

He was still quiet, so she nervously continued after another moment. "I'm not saying I'm not interested in you. Completely the opposite, actually. Oh damn it; I'm making a fool-"

"Yes," he breathed into the receiver.

"Oh. Okay. Good. That's… good."

"I'm free in two days time for the long weekend. I was planning on some quiet time but I think I could wrangle the keys to my friend's yacht from him if you're interested in joining me."

"Yes. Oh, yes Ray. That sounds wonderful."

* * *

Liz watched Ray from underneath the brim of her beach hat, mesmerized by his physical confidence, strength and ease as he walked with a rolling gait across the deck of his friend's yacht. She found it incongruous that he exuded so much sexuality and yet admitted to a lack of said experience. At the same time, her nascent profiling instincts flashed her examples of his shyness, career focus, kindness, and generosity of spirit, as proof that he really wasn't lying. Plus, who would lie about something like that anyway? She found herself in a position that she'd never thought to be in: exploring a mutual attraction for the sake of simple joy with a twenty year old man who had never had sex.

She was quite sure he had experience with a lot of the other aspects of teenage sexuality, though. There was no way that man wouldn't know how to please a woman. She found herself flushing furiously at the thought.

"What has you so red in the cheeks?" His voice suddenly shocked her out of her thoughts. He seemed to have snuck up behind her while she was lost in her daydreams. Kneeling behind her, his knees between the arms that she'd stretched out behind her for balance, he brought the backs of his warm and calloused hands up to trail against both of her cheeks.

She stilled at his touch, a prime example of what she had been thinking about him not even a minute ago.

"Well, I…" she stuttered as she tried to get a hold of her body's response to his touch. After a deep chuckle from him, she gathered her wits about her and turned so that she was now sideways to him, her knees tucked to the side. Diving right in, she replied, "I was thinking that you, for all your inexperience with… sex… at least know how to please a woman with your hands." She kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to look down in embarrassment. It was worth it, as she was able to see the exact moment that his pupils dilated, shaded beneath his ball cap.

It was his turn to blush, even though she barely caught it creeping up his cheeks. "Uh. Maybe…"

"Oh come on, there's no need to be shy with me, Ray," she wheedled, leaning closer by placing one hand on his knee and peering up into his face.

"I've never really talked like this with anyone before, Lizzie," he admitted softly. "But I find myself attracted not only to you, but to your ability to pull away my layers like an onion. I can only hope you don't cry in disappointment." The last was said only half-seriously.

"Hah, so witty," she gently teased. She lifted her hand to gently trail her fingers down his smooth cheek. "Don't think so much. Let's just have some fun and enjoy one another. Revel a little in life before we start taking ourselves too seriously, if you will."

"Hm, I can get on board with that idea, Lizzie." He drew out her name as if it tasted delicious, and a shiver ran down her spine. He noticed, let out a smirk, and then glanced around. "Well, I think we'll be undisturbed this far out, and the anchor is down…" He leaned in to slant his lips across her mouth, and they didn't speak much again after that.

* * *

Fifteen years later, Raymond Reddington, Concierge of Crime, watched as Elizabeth Keen walked down the metal stairs in the bowels of the FBI black site where he was being held. As the box drew back from where he was sitting, chained to his chair, his mind flashed back to the weekend he and Lizzie had spent on his friend's yacht. She was still as beautiful today as she was back then. Married life seemed to be agreeing with her, he thought with bitterness. He double-checked to be sure that his calm mask was in place.

He'd never told her that he knew who she was before he'd run into her at that jazz festival. His first case, handed to him as a naval intelligence officer, though still in school, had been a happy accident to run into. He hadn't intended to be so drawn into her orbit, but he had never regretted it. Her parents had been the problem; she didn't deserve the scrutiny that his superiors had wanted to give her.

Liz struggled to contain her shock, though inside she quailed. Her superiors were watching. She had never connected the Raymond Reddington whom she had spent the summer with before university with the Raymond Reddington on the FBI's Most Wanted list. A derisive voice in the back of her mind thought that was incredibly stupid for such a supposedly-smart woman, but perhaps she hadn't wanted to make the connection. She was sure, however, that this man – this criminal – knew exactly who was sitting opposite him.

"Agent Keen, what a pleasure."


End file.
